


badger and snake

by mothwrites



Series: COLA crossovers [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Shapeshifter, Unleashed
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multi, ali sparkes, the cola club, the shapeshifter - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 05:06:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/630743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothwrites/pseuds/mothwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darren Tyler, Hufflepuff prefect, began the new year at Hogwarts by comforting terrified first-years and trying to explain how some people are snakes, and some people are badgers, but everyone's just fine when you get to know them. (Predominantly a Shapeshifter fic.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	badger and snake

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is hopefully the first in a series that's a mash-up between JK Rowling's "Harry Potter" series and "The Shapeshifter" series by Ali Sparkes. I really love The Shapeshifter, and I hope some people on here do too. This will eventually involve all the COLA's, and tell the stories of all the main COLA events, Hogwarts style, (with some little additions of my own.) Happy reading!

Darren Tyler pulled the honey-coloured curtains of his four-poster bed to a close. Shielded from the hectic world of Hogwarts, he lay back and exhaled exhaustion. It was almost midnight, and after explaining everything to the first years, (basic school rules, how to get into the common room, which dormitory to sleep in, which chair was _definitely his_ ,) he was completely ready for a good night’s sleep. The new prefect managed to close his eyes for a good ten seconds before the dormitory door creaked open. Mentally groaning, he knew exactly what was happening. Little footsteps pattered outside his bed, and he saw the terror-stricken face of a new first-year peek through his curtains. Darren grumbled as he got up, but smiled anyway, to reassure the kid. The first night at Hogwarts wasn’t easy for everyone.

“What’s up, Jamie?”

The kid shook furiously at being addressed- Darren made a mental note to test out the new apparent air of authority he had as a prefect- and managed to stammer out, “there’s- there’s a S-Slytherin boy at the d-door. He’s t-trying to get in.”

Darren rolled his eyes. _Yep, knew it._ “Red hair, green eyes, scowl on his face?”

“Y-yes..”

“Go back to bed then,” Darren sighed, though it was hard to keep the smile off his face. “You did the right thing coming to me, but let’s not make a habit of it, yeah?”

The kid didn’t need to be told twice. He sped off, and Darren shuffled out of bed, pulling his dressing gown on. He yawned and made his way downstairs. The common room was the tidiest it would be for a long time. It was the first night at school, no-one had had time to leave any belongings around, though a fire that was only just beginning to die down still glittered merrily in the grate. As Darren reached the heavy wooden door and pulled it open, he adopted his sternest expression. On the other side, Spook Williams shuffled his feet with the slightest air of guilt and bit his lip.

“Williams, what on _Earth_ are you doing out of bed at this hour? Are you trying to get points taken off Slytherin? Because I’m a prefect now, and-” he was cut off when Spook could take it no longer, and pulled his best friend into a hug. Darren relaxed and his smile returned as he patted the fiery redhead in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “Where’ve you _been_?” He asked softly, swaying a little with the force of the hug. “I looked for you everywhere on the train, after the prefect’s meeting. And you missed the Sorting.”

Spook drew back. “Good to see you too. You’re not really going to take points off me, are you? Don’t tell me you’re going to be _that_ kind of prefect.”

“Well... no. But you can’t come in.”

“Why not? Everyone here knows me. I’m an honorary badger.” He frowned, and Darren felt awful. “Right?”

“Of course you are. Do you think I made you a Hufflepuff scarf just for fun? But the first-years,” he reminded his friend gently. “I’m meant to be setting them a good example.”

“You’re a Hufflepuff,” Spook scoffed, pushing past him to flop down on a sofa. “You’re the living embodiment of a good example.”

Darren tutted, but sat next to him anyway. “And you, a bad one. Where were you? Are you okay?”

Spook didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Dad stopped me from getting through the barrier on time. You know how he is.”

“Ah,” Darren responded quietly, and didn’t push the matter further. He knew _exactly_ what Spook’s dad was like. Spook was a half-blood, but his mother passed away just after he was born, without telling his father about her magical status. When Spook finally received his Hogwart’s letter, his father hadn’t taken the news well. Spook spent every holiday at Hogwarts, and every Christmas at Darren’s house with his grandmother. He only went back in the summer to see his little brother and sister. Opposite, Spook drew his knees up to his chest.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just got here, and I wanted to see you. I’ll go in a minute.

” Darren looked at him for a moment, and conceded. “Stay for a while. The fire’s not out yet.”

 

*

 

Despite all their differences, the two of them really were best friends. Happy-go-lucky, easy-going Darren Tyler always knew he’d be a Hufflepuff, and had fitted in with the house dynamic perfectly. He wore his yellow and black robes to his first lesson at Hogwarts with pride, where he met his potions partner- Spencer Williams, who didn’t speak to him for the entire double period. When the bell rang, the Slytherin boy got up and left without a word, or even a nod of acknowledgement.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jenny called from a neighbouring table. She’d stained her yellow and black tie green with their assignment for the lesson, a potion to cure boils, but she didn’t seem to care in the slightest. “That’s just what Slytherins are like. They don’t make friends like we do.” He’d nodded and left for lunch somewhat gloomily, where Jenny promptly went to sit with a calm, smiling, second-year Ravenclaw, with the most beautiful eyes Darren had ever seen. But even making friends with Mia Cooper didn’t erase the strange feeling he had. Darren watched the strange, red-haired boy at the end of the Slytherin table. He sat alone, toying with his food miserably. No-one spoke to him. He left as quickly as he’d finished eating. Darren found himself getting up too, while trying to ignore the strange looks he gained from the two girls next to him, and Luke Reader, a Ravenclaw who had just sat down next to Mia with a stack of books.

“Need to grab my Charms textbook,” he lied, and sped off. Outside the great hall, the Williams boy was talking to a Gryffindor. Darren watched them for a moment, and frowned. No, not talking. Arguing. As he approached, he saw the Gryffindor clearly, and did a double take- but Luke was a _Ravenclaw_ , he was sitting inside, with Mia and Jenny... The Gryffindor spoke, and as Darren watched him carefully, he noticed he held himself more confidently, and the grin on his face was not at all as pleasant as Luke’s soft, shy smile.

“What are you doing out here, Williams?”

“None of your business, Reader.”

“Why aren’t you hanging out with your Slytherin friends? Oh, that’s right. You don’t have any. What’s a half-blood doing in Slytherin, anyway?”

“Hey!” Darren wasn’t quite aware of what he was doing, but both boys turned to look at him, startled. “Don’t call him that.”

“Why not? It’s a fact. Who are you?”

“Darren Tyler. Hufflepuff,” he stated proudly.

The boy seemed amused. “Gideon Reader. Gryffindor.”

“I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be noble heroes? You don’t seem very heroic. What did Spencer ever do to you?”

“If you must know,” Gideon drawled, “he’s a posh brat who can’t keep his nose out of other people’s train compartments. Also, he’s a Slytherin.”

“That’s no reason to pick on someone.”

Gideon took a moment to look Darren up and down. “You know, Williams, if you have to get a Hufflepuff to fight for you, I really think you’re the worst Slytherin this school has ever seen.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Spencer practically growled, and Darren thought he saw the boy's hand flick to his wand. When Gideon finally walked away, he relaxed a little. And then turned back to Darren, scowling heavily.

“Why did you do that? You heard him, I’m a Slytherin. Can’t you see the badge, idiot?” Spencer began to move away, but Darren caught his arm, even though the words had stung a little.

“Of course I can. But it’s just a badge. We’re not completely defined by our houses.”

Spencer’s green eyes looked troubled. “Why did you help me? In the limited sense of the word _help_.”

“Because...” Darren struggled for words, not quite knowing the answer himself. “Because everyone deserves a chance?”

“I don’t. I’ve been nothing but awful to you all morning.”

“I’m sure you’re a good person really.”

“You are _such_ a Hufflepuff.”

Darren grinned, and mimicked him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Spencer couldn’t help himself. He laughed, and stuck out his hand. “I’m Spencer. Spence, whatever. I’m a half-blood Slytherin with no friends, because I grew up as a muggle. And I’m evil. Because all Slytherins are evil.”

Darren took his hand and shook it warmly. “I’m Darren, the only Hufflepuff in a long line of Ravenclaws, which means that apart from being a really embarrassing disappointment to my whole family, I’m also stupid, and prone to hugging people. Because Hufflepuffs are just nice and nothing else.” He smiled at Spencer’s surprised expression. “Hey, you’re not the only one with house identity issues. Just because I always knew I’d be a Hufflepuff, doesn’t mean my family likes it.”

Both boys laughed, and Spook found himself smiling, _really_ smiling, for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“What’s your next class?”

“Charms.”

“Excellent, you can be my partner.”

Darren shoved him lightly as they walked down the corridor together. “Seriously? You just ignored me for a whole double lesson!”

“I figured you wouldn’t want to talk to me.”

“Idiot,” Darren scoffed, but fondly. They looked at each other for a second as they reached the door to the charms classroom.

“You’re not stupid,” Spencer told him. “You did better than me in potions today.”

“I am prone to hugging, though. You’d better watched out.”

His new friend smirked. “I’m sure I’ll cope.”

“Look, come sit with us at dinner. I’m sure it’s allowed.”

“Us?”

“Me, Jenny, Mia, Luke- Gideon’s twin,” he elaborated. “Who is a lot nicer than his brother, I promise. Mia’s really nice too, you’ll like her alot.”

Spencer said nothing at first, but nodded. “Okay. Sure. Why not? But if they don't want to sit with me, don't think I won't say I told you so.”

 

*

 

“Darren? There’s a first year watching us.”

Darren jolted out of his memories to see Jamie staring at the unlikely pair. “I told you to go to bed,” he repeated, in the sternest voice he could manage at half-past midnight, when he was curled up comfortably next to a friend in front of a dwindling fire.

“Are Slytherins allowed on the Hufflepuff dormitory?”

Spook scowled at him, but Darren was used to it. The social stigma of Hogwarts forced itself into first-years at Sorting, and never really left.

“This one is,” he told the kid, heaving himself up on the sofa. “He’s an honorary badger. And I appreciate the Hufflepuff pride, but you really need to go back to bed now. Don’t get into trouble on your first night. It’s not worth it.”

“You’re not in bed,” the boy piped up. Darren refrained from saying, _I’m a prefect!_ and instead beckoned Jamie over.

“Listen, he started when the kid had clambered into the armchair. “I know what you’ve been told. The four houses of Hogwarts- Gryffindors are the good guys, Slytherin are the bad guys, Ravenclaws are clever and Hufflepuffs are nice, right?”

Jamie nodded. “Right.”

“Wrong. The Sorting Hat looks at what’s in your heart, and no two people are the same. We’re not clones in robes, we can think for ourselves. In every house there’s clever people, hardworking students, jokers, delinquents, Quidditch players, model students, and rebels. Like big families. Do you have a sister or a brother?”

Jamie nodded again. “My big sister’s in Ravenclaw.”

“And are you two alike?”

He shook his head violently.

“You’re still family, though. Hogwarts is a family. In Hufflepuff, we’re all different. But the one thing we are is _accepting_ , all right? You can’t judge someone by the robes they wear. Even though Spook here is a Slytherin-” Darren gestured to his friend, who waved, “that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”

“Thanks, mate,” Spook said quietly when Darren had finished. “I think that reached a moral conclusion at _some_ point.”

“Shush, I’m really sleepy.”

“The kid’s right, though, I’m not supposed to be in here, and especially not after curfew. I didn’t think I was going to get caught red-handed by a first-year.” He grinned at Jamie to show he didn’t really mind, and Darren felt relieved. He knew Spook had a soft spot for kids. “Are you going to turn me in, Jamie?”

“N-no,” Jamie stuttered back. “I’ll- I’ll go back to bed now. I’m sorry,” he said to Darren, who shook his head.

“You were trying to do the right thing. You’ll fit in fine here, kid. Come on, I’ll go up with you. I need to sleep too. Don’t let Lisa catch you on your way back, Spook,” he joked as he got to his feet. Spook rolled his eyes at the mention of the new Slytherin prefect. “We’ll talk in the morning, yeah?”

“Night then,” Spook yawned. “What’s the password, by the way? I don’t want to alarm any more first years.”

“Flitterbloom, though I shouldn’t be telling you that. You’ll get me into so much trouble one day.”

“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” Spook’s cocky composure was back as he strode to the door. “See you in the morning.”

When the door closed, Darren gently shepherded a half-asleep Jamie into the correct dorm. “He’s really not supposed to know, but oh well. I don’t know why I tell him every time, he spends more time in our common room than his.”

Bidding Jamie good night, he walked back to his own dorm, careful not to wake Jacob up who was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to his. Darren slid back into his cosy covers and sighed with relief, hoping that this year would be a lot more peaceful than the last four.


End file.
